Carry on Cruising

"Traditional holidays are a thing of the past" according to Ron & Wyn. Cruising is the only mode of transport appropriate for seasoned travellers like us to see, touch, experience the world and all that it has to offer. The biggest advantage which cruising offers over other holidays is that you take your chosen hotel with you.

Jan: What converted to cruising?

Ron: I worked in the building trade all my life. I can't really complain.. I've had a good run. I earned a very good living working in upper management capacity. I promised myself a holiday of a lifetime for my 40th birthday. That was a few years back.. Wyn persuaded my go on a cruise. I am really glad I did.. We booked on Oriana; a luxurious ship, and cruised around the Caribbean. We must have stopped at 7 different Island over the course of this cruise places like St Lucia, Barbadoes, St Kits, Jamaica, Antigua. It was like having 7 holidays condensed into holiday.

Jan. What was the ship like? Wyn. A breath of fresh air. Very difficult to put into words but the whole experience was out of this world. We found ourselves in luxurious surroundings. We were lucky to join the ship on its maiden voyage. A stroke of luck, a bonus really. It was very clean ship, thick carpet, three restaurants and we sampled all the Caribbean food that you can imagine. Add to that an array of onboard live entertainment program put together by Cunard's head of entertainment.

Jan: How many cruised have you done? Wyn: This is our 14th Cruise. Isn't that the case Ron? Yes. It is? And, I look forward to many more cruises like this one.. We have been cruising regularly for the part 20 years. And, since Ron retired we have managed to cruise every year because now we have the time to choose the destinations that we always wanted to visit.

Jan: Where are you going this time? Ron: This is a 20 day cruise trip. We fly to Orlando with our grand children. As a birthday treat, we are taking our 5 grand children to Disneyland. We are going to go to Disneyland with them for 7 days.. We will visit the parks and have as much fun as we can. But, the whole Disneyland part of the trip is for the kids and their enjoyment. We are going to have a couple of birthday parties in Disneyland for them. It is a surprise for both Jamie and Oliver.

The children fly back on the 7th of March and we join a cruise ship from Tampa. This cruise is a trip down the memory lane.. I first visited Barbados 17 years ago and promise myself to go back for two reasons... I really enjoyed my 2 day stay in Barbados plus since then a couple of friends have settled in Barbados and I quite like to see them again. This is a 5 day cruise with a 2 day stay in Barbados... We chose this cruise because of the 2 day stay in Barbados so that I could catch up with my pals.

Jan: What is your advise to would be cruisers? Wyn: Ron and I like quality in choosing a cruise as well as the ship. We go by the star rating of the ship. Go for the highest rated ship in any fleet I would say. When choosing a cabin... I am less fussed about the location of the cabin but I want the cabin to be clean. Also, we don't really mind staying in an inside cabin. I say this because we spend most of our time exploring the places that we visit.

Jan: What are your plans for the remaining part of your trip? Wyn: Hawaii is a place that Ron fell in love with when we cruised all the Hawaiian Islands 5 years ago. I must confess I really liked the people, the climate, the way of life.... They were totally relaxed and laid back... they took life very easy almost at snail's pace. Quite honestly... I wanted to take a leaf out of the Hawaiian way life... but did not quite manage it... Maybe on this occasion.. I will succeed.. Hawaii offers a huge contrast to the Caribbean...

Jan: Your final remarks on cruising? Ron: I believe that life is short.. and that you must enjoy every living moment. Also, life passes you by at such a pace that if you don't enjoy it.. it is going to pass you by. Cruising is the only way that I like to see it... because I want to see it all... Wyn: I have some deal friends who go on traditional all inclusive holidays and sit by the pool for the duration of their entire holiday.. They seem to enjoy their holiday.. But, for us.... It is carry on cruising and that is the only way.